5/10k FREESTYLE

We woke, we took the temperature and WE RACED! It was a 5/10k freestyle - top 12 results are below.

My back held strong today (although I am out of shape after my time off). That is all I could really have hoped for so I am content. I was 19th, 1:15.3 out.

Tomorrow is now a race day with a 10/15k classic scheduled. I will not be doing the classic events this week, but have intervals (classic) scheduled for tomorrow. It will be my third hard workout since West Yellowstone, over a month ago and my first classic interval test.

Sometimes you just have to swallow today and start getting fired up about tomorrow.


Congratulations to Caitlyn on the win, Alexa for returning from surgery and rocking a 7th!!! and to Nicole De Yong, who looks as if she found that sweet-spot she talked about.

men racing in the foreground - start pin is just visible to the left

INFRINGEMENT

My little cheerleaders

The you tube keeps telling me that I can't use certain songs... So this time I am uploading with Blogger. No discrimination from them - yet.

Above, is playground footage from this fall. Parents, if you are queezy about your children riding in ski team vans up crazy, curvy, icy access roads, maybe skip this one (Plateau access road, West Yellowstone, MT). After injuring my back in the race shown, this week is my fresh start... if it ever warms above -4F.

The deal with tomorrow: If we race - women start at 1pm (men at 1:54:ish) at 15-second intervals. The jury will meet at 12:30 to take Kincaid's temperature. Keep your fingers crossed!

The races have been changed to 5/10k (being held on the classic courses) but they are holding the right to change it back to 10/15s if the weather warms up well into legal limits. If that is the case, women will do two 5k loops.

They are still talking about having the 10 and 15ks later in the week but first - lets see what happens tomorrow.

I have a great start position, just 15 seconds ahead of Kikkan - Alaska's own sweetheart and one of our nation's fastest skiers! I will be running scared and then holding on for dear life... if, that is, she catches me!

Into it? I am. Game on!

Today's race, originally yesterday's race, was canceled. Too cold. Tomorrow is not supposed to be any warmer, but we go through the motions of testing and waxing skis, eating and training accordingly as if there is going to be a race tomorrow. Everyone is hopeful.

I have heard that the 10/15k freestyle scheduled for tomorrow will be held later and on a shorter course. Rumors of doing the 5/10k classic courses were floating around. I also heard the potential of having the 5/10k classic tomorrow, leaving the longer distance race for later in the week.

Things will be decided in a coaches meeting later on today. I will post the news as soon as I hear it. Until then, stay warm!

Morgan, hanging in the wax cabin

DOWN IN THE DOUBLE DIGITS

UPDATED UPDATE: 1:30, stadium temperatures still too cold. The race is moved to tomorrow (11:30 scheduled start time)...
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UPDATE: Qualifying will take place at 1:30. Heats will be run on Sunday.
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11am, stadium temperature was -23.7 C (-10.6 F) this morning. The legal race limit is -20 (-4 F) and so the race has been postponed 2 hours.

The original qualifier was to go off at 11:30 but they will reconvien at 1pm to take another temperature reading to decide the fate of the 1:30 start.

If the temperatures do not move within legal limits today, Sunday (tomorrow) is the potential rain date.

The course is in great shape and skiing is good (says my brother, over the phone). I will do another update just after 1 with the latest news from the venue.

The stadium, yesterday morning

My face, yesterday around 11:30 after 40 minutes of easy skiing

CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE

One of the locals at Kincaid Park was out to greet the skiers yesterday.

Some of our athletes are batting 100 (seeing a moose each time they have skied so far) and we are told races are sometimes obstructed by the large animals.

Regardless of how they do or don't end up affecting the competitions - they are really cool to see!


I classic skied yesterday, for the first time since hurting my back (over a month ago). I woke this morning able to get out of bed, so things are looking good for me.

Today, I will register for 3 of the 4 races in this year's National Championships. I am sitting out of the classic sprint (the first competition) on Saturday. The classic sprint is one of the formats that will be at the coming World Cup races (as well as in the 2010 Olympics) so it is one I regret to miss. My coaches have pointed out, however, that it is probably the best way to re-injure myself.

My goals for '09 now include recovery and kicking some serious tail in the second half of the season. I am not counting myself out of these races, but the season is long. Here is the deal:

Sat, Jan 3 - Classic Sprint
Mon, Jan 5 - 10/15k Free
Wed, Jan 7 - 5/10k Classic
Thurs, Jan 8 - Freestyle Team Sprint

Happy 2009 all